Bond University, based on the Gold Coast in Australia, has bowed to industry pressure and will be offering a specialised qualification in cloud computing this year.

Dubbed 'infrastructure', the course is believed to be one of the first of its kind in the country. It will be available at both undergraduate and post-graduate level for students. Cloud computing is expected to continue to grow in popularity over the next few years, therefore specialists in this field will be in high demand as the computing industry continues to shift towards cloud technology.

The new course will focus on how to create a virtual environment, how to manage clouds, and how to implement them. By teaching students these key focus points of cloud computing, they become better equipped for the industry when they join the workforce.

It may also lessen the burden on businesses becoming increasingly reliant on this technology, and who do not possess the necessary skills within their companies to manage and update it.

"The technology in this cloud space has been evolving over the last four or five years and we were getting requests from industry that they were looking for these sorts of skilled people."

Bond University has involved cloud computing within their courses for the past three years, as well as offering specialised courses in mobility and security. This latest degree course is viewed as necessary progression required for students to work in industries coming to rely on cloud computing more extensively.

The university expects demand for this course to increase within the next few years.

U.S based Stanford University also offers a course in this computing field.